As the Dallas Cowboys look to upgrade their quarterback depth, Cam Newton has landed in their lap as an option.
The health concerns around Dak Prescott this preseason shined a spotlight on the Dallas Cowboys’ lackluster situation behind him. After they cleared out the depth chart Tuesday morning, NFL reporter Josina Anderson has reported the Cowboys will do their due diligence on Cam Newton.
The Patriots got the list of surprise cuts on final cutdown day started by releasing Newton Tuesday morning. Losing the starting job to a rookie is not great for the former league MVP, but there should be multiple teams looking into adding him.
With the release of reserve quarterbacks Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci, Tuesday morning leaving Cooper Rush and Prescott as the only quarterbacks on the roster, could Newton make sense as an insurance policy?
Prescott had not missed time in his career before suffering a broken leg last year, and while it didn’t go perfectly when he had to step in the signing of Andy Dalton the previous offseason provided a solid replacement option.
Would Cam Newton be a good option for the Cowboys?
It’s fair to say Newton is a backup-caliber quarterback at this point in his career. Whether he would accept that role is the question, and his presence behind a starter who isn’t established would be an automatic distraction. The moment that starter struggles as surely would have been the case in New England if or when Mac Jones ever struggled, the calls for Newton to step in would come.
In Dallas, Prescott is firmly entrenched as the starter. There is no competition for the job, and injury is all that would cost him playing time. Newton would know that going in, and it would inform his decision to sign with the Cowboys if he wanted a clear chance to start.
As things are right now, the annual high expectations in Dallas would go away for 2021 if Prescott were injured again. With last year’s experience, after Dalton was injured too, that’s the reality they faced and know. It takes two to tango, but if Newton wants to come aboard as the backup he’d be a good option to keep things afloat if another worst-case scenario comes for the Cowboys.